1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is generally related to a sealing device for a conduit extending through a wall, and, more particularly, to a sealing device that allows a tube to be quickly and easily attached to a wall, for conducting a fluid through the wall, in a secure manner without the need for the use of tools.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Many different types of applications require that a conduit extend through a wall in such a way that fluids are prevented from passing through the opening in the wall other than through the internal passage of the conduit.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,697,194, which issued to Gignac et al on Dec. 16, 1997, describes a modular seal assembly for a wall opening. A modular seal assembly for sealing a circular opening through a wall, usually with one or more conduits extending through the seal is described. The assembly includes an outer pressure annulus and a thick inner pressure disc, both of natural or synthetic rubber, EPDM, urethane, or other elastomer. In the outer annulus the elastomer is an annular series of interconnected blocks having a length and having a central opening of a predefined radius; a series of pressure bolts compress the blocks axially, expanding the annulus both outwardly and inwardly. The inner disc, which has an outer radius of a predefined magnitude and is interlocked with the elastomer blocks of the outer annulus, has a multiplicity of circular layers, much like an onion; the layers are concentric about an opening through which a conduit usually extends. Tightening the pressure bolts causes the outer annulus to compress the disc, forcing the disc against the conduit to complete a seal; the elastomer blocks of the outer annulus seal against the wall opening.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,029,879, which issued to Strang, Sr. et al on Jul. 9, 1991, describes a seal for a pipe to wall junction. An improved seal of the junction of a pipe or tube to an opening formed in a flat wall or in the wall of a cylindrical or rounded container, including axially tapered exterior and interior peripheral surfaces. The tapers of such surfaces are different one from the other and are of such a degree that, when the seal is inserted into the opening and the receiving member and the pipe is inserted therethrough, the material from which the seal is fabricated is forced to bulge around the periphery of the opening, thereby securing the pipe in the opening and perfecting the seal therebetween.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,656,689, which issued to Dennis on Apr. 14, 1987, describes a grommet. It describes an easy to install grommet device for protecting conduit passing through a wall opening and for providing an air seal between the conduit and the edge of the wall around the wall opening. The grommet device has a relatively stiff fastener portion with projections extending therefrom and locking devices at the ends of the projections for engaging the edges of the wall around the wall opening. An elastomeric seal portion receives the projections and has an aperture of smaller dimensions than the outside dimensions of the conduit.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,174,126, which issued to Hauff on Nov. 13. 1979, describes a wall feedthrough fitting. The fitting comprises a feedthrough tube that is embedded in a wall and has a pair of opposite ends each exposed to the respective face of the wall. An annular seal surrounds the tube adjacent one of the ends and radially inwardly bears on the tube and radially outwardly bears on a holding ring embedded in the wall and spaced around the tube. This holding ring extends axially toward one end of the tube beyond the seal and has between the seal and this one end an internal screw thread. A pressure ring is threaded into this holding ring and may bear directly via an axial face or indirectly via an intermediate ring on the seal. The tube may be provided at its one end with an external thread that engages a complementary thread inside the pressure ring.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,888,454, which issued to Treadaway on Jun. 10, 1975, describes a means for forming a seal about a conduit. A method and means for forming a resilient plastic seal about a conduit extending through the wall of a housing or vessel and to anchor the conduit to the wall is described. It comprises a mold having a passage with an open cavity on one face thereof and a passage therethrough through which the conduit may be extended. The open cavity of the mold is retained in position against the surface of the wall through which the conduit extends by means of an annular groove on the inner side thereof to which a suction is applied to hold same to the wall through vacuum. An opening is provided in the mold through which plastic material such as polyurethane may be injected in liquid form and allowed to set and harden about the conduit to provide a resilient bonded seal between the wall and the conduit to resiliently secure the conduit to the wall.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,353,445, which issued to Denzin on Oct. 11, 1994, describes a conduit attachment system. An assembly for connecting a plumbing conduit to a wall is disclosed. In one aspect there is an outlet formed in a wall of the tank and a resilient seal bearing against an inner surface of the wall around the outlet. The seal has a bore aligned with the outlet. A connector tube sandwiches the seal against the wall and also extends through the bore and outlet. The connector is held in place by a radially outwardly extending flange and a locking ring inside the connector.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,338,651, which issued to Svette, Jr. et al on Jan. 15, 2002, describes an electrical connector assembly with a seal. The assembly supports a number of terminals as they extend through a wall such as one might find in a headlamp housing to mate with mating terminals outside the housing. The electrical connector assembly includes an elongated conduit or housing for supporting the terminals as they extend through the wall, where the conduit has a flange extending radially outwardly from one end of the conduit. The connector assembly also includes a seal having a jacket portion extending around the conduit adjacent the flange, and a skirt portion extending radially outward from the conduit and over the flange to effect a seal between the electrical connector assembly and the wall.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,866,853, which issued to Sheehan on Feb. 2, 1999, describes a liquid-tight, strain-relief connector for connecting conduit and the like. It provides a strain-relief, liquid-tight connector for connecting conduit or the like to a bulkhead such as an electrical box, with the connector having a body having front and rear portions, and a substantially hollow inner throughbore formed along a longitudinal axis thereof. The front portion of the connector body is adapted for attachment to a bulkhead. A flexible seal member is mounted at least partially within the hollow inner throughbore for receiving a conduit inserted therethrough, this seal member facilitating a substantially liquid-tight seal about an inserted conduit during use. An at least partially hollow grip for selectively gripping the conduit is included and a clamp nut is telescoped over the rear portion of the body for selective longitudinal adjustment therealong. The longitudinal adjustment of this clamp nut provides inward radial compression of the flexible grip about the conduit. In a preferred embodiment, the grip member comprises a plurality of gripping fingers cantilevered from a ring like base portion and the seal member is at least partially disposed within the grip member. A cam surface is provided in the interior of the body and a compression member on the clamp nut urges the gripping fingers against this cam surface thereby causing the fingers to be compressed radially inward. This results in the conduit being gripped and also enhances the sealing of the seal member about the conduit.
The patents described above are hereby expressly incorporated by reference in the description of the present invention.
Although many different types of sealing devices are known to those skilled in the art for use when a conduit is extended through an opening formed in a wall, known types of sealing devices require several component parts and typically require the use of tooling to assemble the component parts together in order to install the conduit through the hole formed in a wall with a sufficiently liquid tight relationship between the conduit and the wall. It would therefore be significantly beneficial if a sealing device could be provided which does not require tools and which does not comprise a plurality of individual component parts, but which effectively prevents the passage of liquid through the opening in a wall other than through the internal passage of the conduit.
A device for providing a seal around a conduit extending through a wall, made in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention, comprises an opening formed through the wall and a conduit having a first end, a second end, and a central axis extending within a cavity of the conduit and along its length. A first protrusion is attached to the conduit proximate the first end and extending in a direction generally radially outwardly from the central axis. The first protrusion is shaped to pass through the opening when the conduit is disposed in a first position relative to the opening, but to prevent the first protrusion from passing through the opening when the conduit is not disposed in the first position relative to the opening. In addition, the device comprises a resilient seal member attached to the first end of the conduit. The resilient seal member is shaped to be received within the opening and be disposed in sealing association between the conduit and the wall when the conduit is not disposed in the first position relative to the opening.
In a particularly preferred embodiment of the present invention, the wall is an adaptor plate of an outboard motor and the device comprises a second protrusion attached to the conduit proximate the first end and extending in a direction generally radially outward from the central axis. The second protrusion is shaped to pass through the opening when the conduit is disposed in the first position relative to the opening, but to prevent the second protrusion from passing through the opening when the conduit is not disposed in the first position relative to the opening. In a preferred embodiment, the first and second protrusions are diametrically opposed to each other. The present invention can further comprise a collar extending radially from the first end of the conduit, with the resilient member being disposed between the first protrusion and the collar. The resilient member is shaped to be compressed between the collar and the first and second protrusions when the conduit is not disposed in the first position relative to the opening. The resilient member can be provided with extensions that can be aligned with the first and second protrusions to facilitate the insertion of the resilient member into the opening formed in the wall.
The opening formed in the wall is provided with a first slot shaped to receive the first protrusion therein in order to allow the first protrusion to pass through the first slot when the conduit is disposed in the first position relative to the opening. The resilient member can comprise a split line which facilitates the insertion of the first end of the conduit into a central cavity of the resilient seal member. The second end of the conduit is attached in fluid communication with a fuel reservoir of an outboard motor. The fuel reservoir can be a fuel system module attached to a driveshaft housing of the outboard motor. The first end of the conduit is connectable in fluid communication with a fuel system of the outboard motor.
A particularly preferred embodiment of the present invention provides first and second protrusions which extend in directions generally radially outward from the central axis of the conduit and away from each other. The first and second protrusions are shaped to allow the first end to pass through the opening in the wall when the conduit is disposed in the first position relative to the opening. The first and second extensions are attached to the resilient seal member or formed as an integral part thereof, and aligned with the first and second protrusions, respectively to facilitate insertion into the opening. The opening has first and second slots shaped to receive the first and second protrusions, respectively, therein to allow the first and second protrusions to pass through the first and second slots, respectively, when the conduit is disposed in the first position relative to the opening.